If you have a new Dogue de Bordeaux puppy (lucky you!!) or are doing your research ready for when you bring your new fur baby home, you might be wondering how much should a puppy eat?
There is a lot of confusing information online so I will try to make this as plain and simple as I can.
How Much Food Do DDB Puppies Need?
Puppies are greedy.
They will eat and eat and eat… till they burst.
They don’t stop when they are full, unlike some older dogs.
Any puppy, of any breed, will be quite content to eat all of their own food, then move on to the bigger dog’s portions – then onto yours!
It’s really important not to overfeed your Dogue puppy, not only can they end up being overweight but it can cause damage to their ligaments, muscles and bones that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.
Have a look at my post on the ideal weight for an adult Dogue de Bordeaux for more info and a body condition score to help you gauge your pup’s progress.
Large breeds like the Dogue de Bordeaux can suffer from problems such as bloat or hip dysplasia, and any extra weight can make these issues worse.
So, if puppies never stop eating and have no idea of when to stop, how can you make sure your puppy gets enough food but doesn’t get overfed?
Basically, puppies need to eat approx 5% of their own body weight every day. Every.day.
This should keep them at an ideal, healthy weight.
Does It Make A Difference If My Dogue Puppy Is On Dry, Complete Food?
 |  |
No, not really. They should still only be eating about 5% of their own body weight. Commercial dry puppy foods will have a feeding guide on the packet somewhere to help you.
Our Evie came to us eating BETA Large Breed Dry Puppy food, which was perfect as it is made with specialist ingredients for larger puppies – it features a feeding chart on the back of the pack. Memphis came to us eating James Wellbeloved Dry Puppy food, which also features a feeding chart, we measured out their daily food intake using their weight and the formula below.
They both now eat a fully raw diet, as does our Pug, Peanut.
All of our puppies are weaned onto a raw diet once they come to us, but the formula for feeding the right amount of food is still the same.
Tip: Monster Pets often have BETA Puppy food on offer, usually between 35% – 50% off all sizes! Check their website for current prices and offers. They also offer free delivery quite often too!
Do Treats Count Towards A Puppy’s Daily Food Amount?
Yes! Any treats, chews, vegetables, or leftovers all count towards your puppy’s daily food intake – the same as a chocolate cake counts towards our daily calorie intake. (Boo hiss!!)
My Puppy Is Putting On Too Much Weight But Only Eats 5% Of Their Body Weight
Sometimes, it’s down to their genetics, just as us humans seem (to be doomed) to be a certain body shape, so too can our puppies.
If your Dogue de Bordeaux puppy is eating 5% of their body weight a day and is still overweight, it could be that they are more of a couch potato so aren’t burning off enough natural fats through exercise. (Exercise includes playing.)
If your vet said your puppy is too fat, then you need to reduce their food intake or give them more exercise.
Have a look at my post on the ideal weight for a Dogue de Bordeaux for more info and a body condition score to help you gauge your pup’s progress.
My Puppy Is Eating 5% Body Weight of Food But Seems Underweight
This could be down to a few reasons, such as:
- your measurements are a little off
- their breed or genetics make them a lean body type
- their food doesn’t contain enough of what they need
- they are very active and burn off a lot of fats
If you think your puppy is underweight, or your vet tells you they are, then you need to adjust their daily food intake until they are at a healthy weight. (Obviously.)
Body Score Conditions Can Help Guide You
Just remember that these weight guides and body score condition guides are not to be taken as strict numbers – all dogs are different and so what weight might suit one dog, won’t suit another.
Below is a dog body condition chart from Bella & Duke, the commercial raw food specialists. You can see the difference between skinny and overweight but sometimes it can be a bit tricky to tell if your dog is slightly over or underweight – this is why it’s important to weigh them, but use a bit of common sense with their genetics too.
Dogue de Bordeaux can come smaller or larger boned just like us humans can!
How Do I Adjust The Amount Of Puppy Food If They Are Underweight / Overweight?
There is a little calculation to adjust a puppy’s daily food intake to account for their exercise levels.
Weigh your DDB pup in pounds, and then multiply their weight by these numbers to get a more accurate feed amount:
- Inactive or need to lose weight – 4.5% (0.045)
- Normal activity or to maintain current weight – 5% (0.05)
- Very active dogs or need to gain weight – 5.5% (0.055)
eg 5lb puppy x 5% to maintain current weight
- 5(lb) x 5% = 0.25 (a quarter of a pound, 113 grams or 4 ounces)
- 5(kg) x 5% = 0.25 (250 grams)
But if your puppy weighs 5lbs but needs to lose weight, multiply their weight by 0.045 to adjust their feeding intake.
Or, simply weigh your puppy in lbs, then feed them 4.5% of that weight to lose weight.
- 5lb x 0.045 = new amount of food to lose weight
- 5(lb or kg) x 4.5% = new amount of food to lose weight
This formula works whether you weigh in pounds or kilograms.
How Do I Weigh My Dogue de Bordeaux Puppy?
With difficulty when they’re older/heavier! 🙂
The easiest way to check how much your fur baby weighs is to pop into your vets and get them on the scales – most vets will let you weigh your pup for free.
Some pet shops also offer a free scale to weigh your pup, so give them a call or pop in to find out if they offer weighing.
Or, if you prefer, you can weigh them at home.
You can either buy some dog weighing scales like the image above or use your own scales.
To be honest, I always use my own scales to weigh the dogs, I’ve never gotten around to buying a full-sized dog scale!
I use Weight Watchers WW Easy Read Digital Precision Scales because I find them incredibly accurate! I’ve had mine for close to 10 years now and they still work perfectly!! They are the best scales I’ve ever bought – I’ve recommended them to everyone I know!
You can buy WW Easy Read Precision Scales from Amazon – if you have Prime, then you can usually get them the next day with free delivery too! I’ve used these scales to weigh everything from people to dogs, to suitcases!!
Tip: If you can get the scales for under £25, with FREE delivery, you are getting a TOTAL bargain!!!
To weigh your Dogue puppy at home using your own scales, weigh yourself first in pounds or kgs. Then pick up your pup and weigh you and your pup together, in the same measurements (lbs or kgs).
When you have weighed you and your pup, do the working out:
yours & puppy’s weight – your weight = puppy’s weight
You can then adjust your pup’s daily food intake and have a healthy, happy puppy!
How Often Should I Feed My Dogue de Bordeaux Puppy?
Your pup should be fed their 5% daily food allowance over 3-4 meals a day.
So this could be breakfast, dinner, tea and then supper. Just try not to leave too long between each meal.
As your pup grows, they can have fewer meals a day as they can wait longer and fit more in their tummies!
Dogue’s are like a lot of large and brachycephalic breeds – they can suffer from bloat, indigestion, and hiccups! So they need to eat little, slowly and often.
Even adult Dogue de Bordeaux should eat their daily allowance over 2-3 meals.
My Dogues and Pug have breakfast, a small snack at dinner/lunch and then the rest for tea. They eat raw meat, so we definitely don’t leave the food down all day for them to graze!!
Have a look at my post on the ideal weight for a Dogue de Bordeaux for more info and a body condition score to help you gauge your pup’s progress.
Don’t Forget
You can always ask your vet for advice on puppy feeding and weight at any time.
Remember, your pup will eat as much as it possibly can, constantly – so make sure they can’t sneakily access any other food while you aren’t looking!
If this post has been helpful, please share it on social media and help someone else!
You can Pin the image below to Pinterest. Thanks! x
